


remember that tree everyone said was haunted?

by 06seconds_left



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/06seconds_left/pseuds/06seconds_left
Summary: They said strange things happened near it–sightings, creepy noises, people disappearing. Sometimes I believed the rumours; sometimes I was sceptical. But it didn’t really make a difference. The tree was there, and sometimes, they said, it whispered to you.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Recently, my friend and I put together a quick zine of original fiction, consisting of two short stories. This is my entry. You can find the zine on [my friend's wordpress.](https://muggleweasley.wordpress.com/zine/) It's completely free to read and download, so please consider checking out my friend's story out as well. She's really good!

There was a tree in a corner of the school field that everyone knew was haunted.

They said strange things happened near it--sightings, creepy noises, people disappearing. Of course, nobody actually experienced any of this for themselves, since the tree had been fenced off right after the school was built, years and years ago. But that didn't stop people from talking.

And everyone in school talked about it, because they had heard it from everyone else. Sometimes I believed it--because some of my friends believed it--and sometimes I was sceptical--because some of my friends were sceptical--but it didn't really make a difference. The tree was there, and sometimes, they said, it whispered to you.

We all knew not to think about the tree-- _it can hear you!_ \--or get too close-- _it will possess you!._  Even looking at the tree was a big no-no, because, they said, the tree could see you watching, and wouldn't hesitate to get you to come closer, within its reach. Nobody knew why, or how, but they all said: _better safe than sorry._

So we warned each other from the other side of the field, a safe distance away. The years passed, and rumours continued to float around the school. Nothing ever happened.

Until one day, of course, something did.

\--

They said it was the security guard who heard it, during one of his late night patrols: shrill, high-pitched laughter.

Like any sane person, his instinct was to bolt in the other direction.

He turned away, remembered his job, and turned around again. Slow, tentative steps brought him past the empty school canteen, towards the big green field that was the school's pride and joy. Throughout his slow march there had been no other inhuman sounds, and so by the time he came to stand by the field barrier, he had regained some measure of calm, and, now confident that he had only misheard, was entirely prepared to write off the whole incident as nothing extraordinary.

He cast his gaze over the field, scanning it for anything out of the ordinary. Then--

It must have been an accident; everyone meant _everyone,_  so he must have known better than to go looking for trouble on an already-spooky night, but there his gaze went, as if pulled by a magnet.

He looked at the tree.

The tree looked back.

\--

"--should have run," someone muttered, as I walked past, jogging in the direction of my classroom.

"He was doing his job," Sara said to her friend, as I heaved my giant backpack off my shoulder and onto my seat. The chair creaked under its weight.

"Yeah, and look where that got him."

"You're a jerk."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, coming up to their table.

"It's Pak Syed," Sara told me. "He got possessed by the...." here she trailed off, and jerked her head once towards the field.

I nodded hastily, and the three of us stood around in a moment of silence as we raced to fill our thoughts with something else. Arun shuddered, and crossed his arms. "Like I said, he should have run."

"Is Pak Syed--is he...okay?" I asked.

"They said he's really sick," Sara told me.

"That's terrible."

"Shouldn't have gotten so close," Arun muttered, just before the bell for morning assembly rang, cutting off any further conversation, as they scrambled out of the classroom.

The conversation played in my mind over and over, distracting me from the monotone of daily announcements. It was hard to think about something without thinking about it, so I focused my thoughts on Pak Syed, who was always there when I came to school, telling everyone to hurry in before the bell rang, and how odd it had been to walk in today without him standing by the gates.

As the last announcement finished and everyone began shuffling into class, Sara tapped me on the shoulder. When I looked back, she asked, "Do you have tuition later?"

I frowned at her, already suspicious. "...no?"

"Great!" She grinned. "I've got math until 6, so meet me at the bus stop at 6:30, okay?"

"You mean...after the school's closed?"

"Yeah!"

"What? No!"

"Please? It won't take long!"

"What do you even want to do here that late in the day?"

Sara hesitated. "It's a secret."

I crossed my arms. "If you can't even tell me what we're gonna do, why should I say yes?"

"Well," she began, putting her hands on her hips. "You _do_  owe me a favour, right?"

"...yes, but--"

"And you said you'd do anything, right?"

"Yes, but--"

"And you got an A on our last geography test after all, right?"

"Okay, look--"

"And we would have gotten into much bigger trouble for _that_ than sneaking around school in the dark," she continued, leaning closer and letting her voice drop, _"right?"_

I sighed, and said, "Fine."

\--

During math, Arun flicked a folded note onto my notebook. After looking up hastily to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, I glared at Arun, but he only gestured discreetly behind him and went back to scribbling in his book. Confused, I glanced over my shoulder, and saw Sara winking at me. Hope rushed through me, and I raced to unfold it, wondering if she had changed her mind.

But all the note said was:

_Don't forget to call your mom and tell her!_

I shoved the note into my pencil case.

\--

And then we were hiding behind a bush, waiting for the new--and temporary--security guard to walk past us during his evening patrol. His footsteps slapped loudly against the ground, and we both held our breaths, counting the seconds. By 18, he was far enough away that I exhaled, and rubbed my hands over my knees. "This is such a bad idea."

Sara peeked over the top of the bush. "It'll be fine."

"You still haven't told me why we're here."

"Be patient. You'll find out in about five minutes."

I was silent for a moment. Then, "We're going to get caught."

"No, we won't."

"You always say that, and then we always get caught."

"We get caught maybe 80% of the time. Don't exaggerate."

"Numbers change," I muttered, ripping out a clump of grass and tossing it back down angrily. "Please tell me why we're here."

"I want to take a closer look at the tree." Sara said.

My heart stopped beating.  _"What?"_

"You heard me."

"Are you crazy? Weren't we just talking about Pak Syed this morning?"

"Yes, which is why I wanted you here with me," she said, glancing my way. "I'll get close, but you stay further back where it's safe. That way, if anything happens, you can go and get help."

"But why would you want to do that? And why would you want to do that in the dark? Why couldn't we have done this while the sun was still up?"

"Because then we would have been in plain sight, and would have gotten caught." Sara replied, before turning suddenly. "Come on. We'll find you a spot to hide by the basketball court. That should be far enough for you."

"No, wait a minute." I looked at her, and saw the way her eyes were wide, focused on something in the distance. Goosebumps prickled over my skin, and the realisation settled heavy in my stomach, followed by dread. "Oh no."

Sara stopped, and snapped her gaze over to me. "What?"

"It's got you," I whispered, slowly backing away. "Oh god, it's got you. I shouldn't have agreed to come with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"The tree!" I hissed, and immediately dropped my gaze down to the ground, trying desperately to think of something else.

Sara was silent. "You think...I'm possessed?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, and started chanting the first prayer I could think of.

"What? Hey!"

I ignored her, pushing on with the prayer even as I stumbled over a few words.

"I said hey!"

_Oh god oh god, we were in so much trouble._

"I can't believe--No!" She shoved me, hard enough to send me sprawling onto my side. "I'm not possessed! I'm here because Pak Syed's getting fired over this mess, even though he's been working here for--for _years._  And now he's getting fired! Just like that! All because of a _tree!_ "

 _"Shh!"_ I glanced around. "Please stop talking about it."

"No! Nobody's even sure if the tree's really haunted. Nobody even knows what _happened!_ But they're firing him anyway!"

"Sara, please shut up."

"I'm here because I don't want him to lose his job. And you're here because you're my friend. Because friends help each other. But I guess we're not actually friends after all, huh?"

"What are you talking about? Of course we're friends!" I stared up at her, at her wide-eyed look. "That's why I'm asking you to listen to me. Now come on, it's not too late to get out of here--"

_"No!"_

"Sara, wait--"

She turned away, the set of her mouth firm, determined,

"Sara!"

And took off running,

Straight for the tree.

\--

I stared after her, my heart pounding in my ears, my whole body frozen to the ground. Sara was one of the school's sprinters; she was already halfway there before I had even stood up. There was no way I could catch up to her, no way to stop her. Oh god, she was only seconds away from the tree, she was so close, she was--

\--

\--crumpled on the ground.

In the air, the sound of shrill, high-pitched laughter.

I screamed.

\--

Later--much, much later, I knelt on the ground next to Sara, who lay on a pallet the security guard had found in storage. We were between the school gates and the canteen, where the light was brightest, and Sara squinted at her surroundings, bleary-eyed as she woke.

"Thank god," I breathed.

She stared at me. "What happened?"

"The security guard heard me screaming," I told her, gesturing to where he stood, surrounded by several teachers, all in deep discussion. "He carried you here, and then called the discipline teacher, who called the others. Your mom's on the way here."

"Oh."

I hesitated. "Are you...okay?"

"Yeah."

"What did Arun get me for my birthday last week?"

"Nothing, because he forgot." Her expression scrunched up with annoyance. "I'm fine! I told you, I'm not possessed."

I sat back, finally relaxing. "I was so worried."

"For no reason," she muttered.

"I was really scared for you, okay?"

"That's your own stupid fault! I told you everything was fine."

"Hmph." I squinted at the group of teachers, their faces shadowed by the lamppost directly behind them. The road outside was still quiet, and there were no cars, no sign of moms coming to fetch--and probably scold--their kids. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw one of the teachers glance over in our direction, but he said nothing, only went back to talking. I crossed my arms, suddenly cold.

"Can you hear that?"

I looked at Sara, who was now blinking up at the night sky, her stare distant. "Hear what?" I asked.

"That sound."

"Sara, you're scaring me again." The teacher glanced back at us once more. I gripped my arms tightly, forced myself to sit still. "It's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny," she said. Her voice was getting softer, her eyelids drooping.

"Then what are you trying to do?"

"I know there's nothing there," she said instead, her words quiet, "but I can still hear it."

"Hear what?" I demanded. "What does it sound like, Sara? Tell me!"

She closed her eyes.


End file.
